Refrigerator Rebates

This program provides a $50 reward and free pick up of old refrigerators and freezers for New Jersey residents. These old units are not only wasting energy, but money as well -up to $150 a year. NJCEP (in partnership with JACO Environmental) safely recycles 95% of each unit. These units aren't going into landfills or back on the secondary market, but are being turned into items we use everyday, such as cell phones and laptops. To schedule a free pick up call 1-877-270-3520. For more Rebates and Promotions click here.

The Story of Electronics

Video released Tuesday, November 9, it explores the high-tech revolution's collateral damage—25 million tons of e-waste and counting, poisoned workers and a public left holding the bill.

Healthy Food

Not everybody can afford to shop 100% organic always. But we can focus on those foods with the heaviest burden of pesticides, additives and hormones. According to the Environmental Working Group, consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% by avoiding the most contaminated foods and eating only the cleanest.

EWG has been publishing guides of the most pesticide contaminated foods since 1995, based on statistical analysis of testing conducted by the USDA and the FDA. The dirtiest food list only reflects measurable pesticide residues on the parts of the foods normally consumed (i.e. after being washed and peeled).

The Clean 16

Buy Smart, if the cost of buying all organic isn't within your budget, check out this list of foods so clean of pesticides you don't have to buy organic. (Buying organic is always a good choice for the health of farms and farm workers).

Outdoor composters for sale come in a variety of styles, some have
turning mechanisms built in that helps with decomposition. Few accept meat and dairy products.

Place your
composter in a sunny corner of your
yard, a warm compost pile will break down faster than a
cool one.

There are also indoor composters, such as a bokashi, a
Japanese bin that essentially pickles your food waste, or the
NatureMill, a California-made system that uses a small electric
motor to turn the compost.

Different
composters break down waste at different speeds.

When you begin
to see dirt at the bottom of your composter, scoop it out and
let it rest in a separate pile for two weeks before adding it to
your garden or plant beds.

Whichever
compost method you choose you'll be keeping plenty
of waste out of landfills, and keeping Verona green!

Green Cleaning Products

Switching to green cleaning products is an easy way to help the environment
In 2006, acting Governor Cody signed an Executive Order
directing all State agencies to purchase environmentally friendly cleaning
products to the greatest degree possible. This encourages county and municipal governments to also review their purchasing and use of cleaning
products. In 2006, New York became the first state to actually mandate that
all their public schools be cleaned with environmentally friendly
products.

Cleaning products
that contain toxic chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a
hazard to our families, our pets, and our environment. Potentially
harmful cleaning products should be avoided since they not only affect air quality in the home but
also find their way into the water supply. Most of the conventional cleaning products we all grew up with are
petroleum-based and have dubious health and environmental implications.

Verona kids are doing their green homework!

Last January, during a Board of Education meeting 10 third and fourth graders from Laning Avenue School suggested to reduce toxic chemicals in the district's schools by purchasing "green" cleaning products. The students reminded all grown ups of the health hazards associated with traditional cleaning products and the benefits of going "green”. The school district is currently in a phase out program of the non-green cleaning products. Well done!

Natural Cleaners

White vinegaris a nontoxic disinfectant and mildew
fighter that can be used either diluted or full strength to clean windows as
well as kitchen and bathroom surfaces.

Baking Soda makes a great
low-abrasive scrubbing agent, and an open box of it will help remove odors
in the refrigerator or microwave oven. To freshen a rug sprinkle baking
soda on it and leave it for 30 minutes before vacuuming. Add baking soda to
vinegar in your toilet to get “scrubbing bubbles”.

Lemon juice is an
effective bleaching agent. Use it instead of chlorine bleach on small areas
of light-colored fabrics. To get the yellow out of old lace or linen, hand
wash, rinse in water mixed with lemon juice, then hang in the sun to bleach
dry.

Liquid soap can be added to any of the above if you prefer a little
suds in your cleaning experience.

Look for Eco-friendly packaging or containers that are
biodegradable or recyclable.

Concentrated products are also a good choice
because they produce less package waste that may wind up in a landfill.

Use disinfectants only where necessary. Neutral soap and water is often enough.

There are new non toxic cleaning products such as machines that use magnetized water or oxygen bleach which is much safer to use than chlorine bleach or sodium hydroxide. Oxygen bleach is non toxic, non corrosive and earth friendly.

That's the best possible scenario; no chemicals at all.
There are lots of instances where you can avoid the use of chemicals entirely.

CFL's save you $30 a bulb

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) will save you energy and help the planet. CFLs consume about 75% less and their lifetime is about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. So even though CFLs are more expensive to purchase, each bulb will save you $30 or more in the long run. If every American replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent light bulb, we would save more than $600 million in annual energy costs while preventing the greenhouse-gas equivalent of the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. Go green and switch to CFLs!

Remember that compact fluorescent light bulbs contain traces of mercury, so it is important to educate yourself on proper use, recycling and disposal of these bulbs. Please visit EPA's Clean-Up and Disposal Guidelines. Verona residents can properly dispose of their CFLs when Essex County has its Household Hazardous Waste Day. Would you like to learn more or get involved? Visit Project Porchlight

How should I dispose of medication?

Over-the-counter and prescription medications should not be disposed
down the drain because waste-water treatment facilities are not
designed to remove pharmaceutical compounds and they may end up in
local waterways. Because of hazards to humans, pets, and the environment DO NOT flush
unwanted medications down the toilet, sink, food disposal unit and DO
NOT toss them loosely in the trash. You could accidentally poison
someone or your medications could find their way into water sources and
landfills, and pollute them, causing danger to humans, animals, fish,
and vegetation.

The Verona Police Department will be collecting unused, unwanted, and expired
prescription drugs during an Operation Take Back New Jersey collection at Verona Municipal Building, 600 Bloomfield Ave.The collection will
run from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, October 29.

You can bring your unwanted medication to medical disposal events or collection centers or follow the steps below:

These are 4 steps for proper disposal of medication:

Keep medicine in original container. Mark out personal information on prescription bottles.